Surya Tilak (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

: सूर्य तिलक, Romanised: ''Sūrya Tilaka'') also known as ''Surya Abhishek'' is the modern technological ritual of directing a beam of sunlight onto the forehead of the ''Ram Lalla'' idol within the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

on the occasion of

Ram Navami Rama Navami () is a Hindus, Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Ram, Rama, one of the most popularly revered deities in Hinduism, also known as the seventh avatar of Vishnu. He is often held as an emblem within Hinduism for being a ...

. The first Surya Tilak was held on 17 April 2024. It is the collaborative event guided by the traditional

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

rituals and supported by the modern scientific engineering. It is a display of modern science being used to enhance a religious and spiritual event.

History

The ritual of Surya Tilak was first demonstrated on 17 April 2024 at the

Ram Mandir The Ram Mandir (ISO 15919, ISO: , ), also known as Shri Ramlalla Mandir, is a partially constructed Hindu temple, Hindu temple complex in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. Many Hindus believe that it is located at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, t ...

in Ayodhya. It is a scientific engineering demonstration. It was conducted by the team of CSIR-CBRI, Roorkee along with Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore. The second Surya Tilak was demonstrated on 6 April 2025 at the Ram Mandir. The phenomenon of the ''Surya Tilak'' was observed for approximately 4 minutes. The maximum luminescence was observed for approximately 2-3 minutes.

References

{{India-hindu-temple-stub Hindu rituals Rama Surya